Fan/Light Pulls to Match

One thing about me is that I have this real matchy matchy thing.  When I use to sew more and made almost all my own clothes (I just don't have the time right now anymore) I had this thing about using every bit of left over pieces of fabric to make a matching handbag, hair bow, etc.  My friends told me they could always tell if I made it because it all coordinated.  Now when I make my own jewelry I have to have the whole matching set -- necklace/pendant, earrings, watch bracelet, hair barrette and even sometimes buttons for my shirt or sweater.

The same goes for my home.  Of course things don't match all the same there -- they just have to  coordinate well -- I like a mix of textures and colors as long as they are within the same theme.

So I decided to make our new fan/light pulls to match .. uh hum .. coordinate with .. our switch plate covers and cabinet knobs and here is the design I came up with.

More Sunflowers

I had some cane pieces left over from making the sunflower wall plaques and decided to cover a couple of cabinet knob/drawer pulls.  I tried them out on my kitchen cabinet doors to take a photograph and loved how they look.  We have brushed stainless knobs which I like but now thinking that ones with flowers or a similar design could be a lot of fun and brighten the room a bit.  Will have to think about what I want to do now....

Something different -- Sunflower wall plaques

I was commissioned to create a series of three sunflower tile wall plaques.   I had a lot of fun creating these 3-dimensional style pictures and quite pleased with how they turned out.

Each tile is 5x5" square.  I found my inspiration for two of the designs from some sunflower paintings I came across on the internet which you will find here and here.

The most difficult part in creating these pieces was how to finish them off so they could hang properly.  I finally settled on using picture wire embedded into the clay and then finished off with some cane slices.

Cabinet Knobs

To expand our home decor line, we have now added cabinet knobs or drawer pulls.  We have simple knobs to start but will be adding more styles later on.  The knobs used are solid brass (gold-tone) or steel (silver-tone) and then covered in clay.

Home Decor

   

We've been focusing on expanding our home decor art lately.  I find covering switch plates can not only be a lot of fun but also very rewarding as they add a nice accent to the walls.  We are creating a line of designs for custom ordering where the customer can select their type of receptacle cover, pattern and color.

You can see more of our latest designs on our Jewelry for the Home site and more will be listed on a regular basis.

Some New Buttons

I was commissioned to make some buttons for some sofa cushions last week.  I had some fun making them and experimenting with mica powders and inks and love how they turned out with a sort of antique-patina finish.  I got carried away and made a few and so the extra ones are now for sale in our ArtFire Studio.

    

    

Tutorial - Making an Elegant Organza Ribbon Cord

  

I made some heart pendants a while ago and no matter what type of cord I tried with them, they just didn't seem to look right.  I had some organza ribbon in just the right colors and so did some experimenting and created some pretty organza cords.  This is how it is done:

Step 1 - Cut a piece of 1" (25 mm) wide organza ribbon 1-2 inches longer than you want your finished cord to be.  If there is wire running through the edges, then pull them out with pliers.

Step 2 - Fold the ribbon in half, lengthwise, and sew a 1/4" (5 mm) seam from the raw edge.

Step 3 - The tricky part is turning the ribbon inside out.  I happen to have a really cool tool called "Fasturn" which makes turning sewn tubes of fabric right side out a breeze.  You can see how it is done if you click on the link here .

Step 4 - After the ribbon is turned the ends can be finished off with ribbon crimps or cord tips.  Trim the ribbon so there is no frayed ends and to your preferred length.  For added strength, I like to apply some glue to the cord end before inserting it into your crimp or cord tip.  I do this by applying some glue to the cord end, fold the end in slightly and then fold in half lengthwise.  I then apply a little more glue before inserting into the cord tip and crimping.

Your ribbon is now ready to string your pendant and attach a chain and a clasp.